Expanding Opportunity and Empowering Communities: A Year of Impact

Across the globe, meaningful change often begins with access that is access to education, to safe spaces, to knowledge, and to opportunity. Last year, a series of programmes collectively reached hundreds of thousands of individuals, creating positive effects that extend far beyond the numbers themselves.


At the heart of this impact is a commitment to safety and dignity. The Prevention of Gender-Based Violence Programme has supported 2,161 educators across Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Haiti, Nepal, Sierra Leone, and South Africa. By equipping educators with the tools to recognise, prevent, and respond to gender-based violence, the programme is helping to foster safer learning environments for countless students. Teachers are not just educators, they are often the first line of support, and empowering them strengthens entire communities.


Equally transformative is the Positive Periods Programme, which has reached 70,000 women and girls in Ghana, Haiti, and Nepal. Access to menstrual health education and resources is more than a health issue; it is a matter of equity. By breaking stigma and ensuring girls can attend school with confidence, this initiative is helping unlock potential that might otherwise remain out of reach.


Over 500,000 students and educators have benefited from access to digital classrooms and Learning Resource Centres in The Gambia, Haiti, and Nepal. In regions where resources are often limited, digital access opens doors to knowledge, connection, and opportunity, helping to bridge longstanding educational gaps.

Literacy, too, continues to be a powerful tool for empowerment. In Haiti, the Kreyol Literacy Programme has supported 200 learners, enabling individuals to build foundational skills that impact every aspect of life, from employment opportunities to civic participation.


Young people are also stepping into leadership roles. The Youth Ambassador Programme in The Gambia has supported 78 young individuals, nurturing a new generation of advocates and changemakers. These ambassadors are not only gaining skills but also shaping the future of their communities through their voices and actions.


Supporting educators remains a consistent priority. In Sierra Leone, 152 educators participated in Special Educational Needs (SEN) Awareness Workshops, strengthening inclusive teaching practices. Meanwhile, in The Gambia, 80 educators received training in counselling skills, enhancing their ability to support students’ emotional and mental wellbeing an often overlooked but a critical component of education.


Sometimes, impact comes in simple but life-changing forms. The delivery of 40 bicycles to students in rural villages has made it safer and easier for young people to travel to school. For many, this is not just about convenience, it is the difference between attending school regularly and missing out on education altogether.


Taken together, these initiatives highlight a holistic approach to development, one that recognises the interconnected nature of education, health, safety, and empowerment.


The model of working that we have developed over time at the Foundation, a reciprocal learning model that values real partnership working at its core has played a huge part in our development. It has enabled us to develop relationships built on trust and dignity that are achieving the goal of Education for All.


Behind every statistic is a story: a teacher better equipped to support their students, a girl able to attend school without barriers, a young leader finding their voice.


Progress is not defined by a single programme or outcome, but by the collective momentum of many efforts working toward a shared goal. And as these numbers show, that momentum is growing, bringing lasting change to communities around the world.


Thank you to everyone who has supported our work in 2025 and we look forward to making more progress together in 2026.

Ann Beatty • March 1, 2026

What happens when creativity, young people, education and community come together?

By Ann Beatty • August 25, 2026
Seeds of Hope are everywhere! “I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I arrived at Stage at the Lake…” But it was special to meet all of the Calderdale team in person, who had brought this four-day event together so successfully. Sometimes an event stays with you long after the final performance has finished. My visit to Stage at the Lake at the beautiful Shibden Hall in Calderdale was one of those occasions. As UNESCO ASPnet UK Coordinator, I was delighted to be invited as a guest, but what I experienced was much more than simply attending an event. Here, in the grounds of a house steeped in history, the past, present and future seemed to meet. The English Chamber Orchestra filled the setting with music, Northern Ballet brought movement and storytelling to life, and throughout there was a wonderful sense of creativity, community and possibility. And then there were the parklets; a unique gardening festival at Shibden Park celebrating community, creativity and the power of nature to bring people together. At its heart was a specially commissioned trail of ten micro show gardens, designed and built by community groups from across Calderdale. It was wonderful to see spaces where ideas, conversations and creativity were flourishing and connecting through Seeds of Hope. I cannot wait to see them transported to their ‘forever homes’. Standing there, I found myself thinking about what we mean when we talk about education, culture and hope. 

Alfa Liv Kalkil - Math concepts for popular literacy classes in Haiti

By Chancy Jak • August 25, 2026
2025 During the annual fomasyon for Alfa monitors, Antoliyis Pye gave an extensive presentation on how best to introduce and develop basic math concepts in literacy classes. The response to his insight and enthusiasm led to our decision to create our own math book for Alfa participants.  In Haiti and around the world, illiterate market women and peasant farmers develop their own techniques for calculating and recording numbers. However, in providing literacy for the development of our people, we must also introduce the world of conventional numeracy. These skills lead to logical thinking, problem-solving, and the ability to interpret and make informed decisions on numerical evidence. For a year we worked together to draft the contents of our Alfa Liv Kalkil, seek illustrations, create layout, and finally take our product to the local printer. Funds were provided for 350 copies, enough for each Alfa participant at each of our sites at the present level of attendance. 2026 Our next step was to fully engage each Alfa monitor in the process for introduction and use of Liv Kalkil in Alfa classes. Our two day fomasyon for 2026 was dedicated to ensuring that each member of our team was familiar with the book and comfortable in implementing the concepts with Alfa participants. The sessions were a great success. Every monitor was extremely pleased with this new tool which will allow them and their classes to work together in the world of mathematics. Liv Kalkil is now in service for every participant throughout Alfa, from Limonade itself out to sites in the hills and along the river. It is with some excitement that the monitors and participants are beginning to use our very own, home-grown, math book. In the same way that we already had Goute Sel*, Lekti Netale*, Ti Koze Sou Istwa Peyi Dayiti*, we are proud to have this math book which advances our shared work for the development of our people. We are profoundly grateful to all those who have encouraged and supported us in developing this book. We want to thank our dedicated team of monitors, the Alfa support team in Columbus, Ann Beatty and the Steve Sinnott Foundation, and the many others who contribute to our literacy programme. Chancy Jak (Alfa Co-ordinator) Antoliyis Pye (senior monitor) *Goute Sel: Taste of Salt (base text for Alfa literacy classes) *Lekti Netale (reading comprehension) *Ti Koze Sou Istwa Peyi Dayiti (stories from Haitian history; Alfa second level)

Five Days, 64 Educators, One Renewed Mission

By Marie Antoinette Corr • August 10, 2026
Every teacher has a time in their career when a student needs someone to listen to them instead of just a lesson plan. Schools have been preparing for that moment for far too long. That started to alter on Friday, August 7, 2026. After completing a five-day guidance and counselling program in the RED 2 West hall in Brikama, 64 educators left with certificates and something more substantial than paper. They left with a duty: to be a support system for young people negotiating the challenging realities of school and life, a listening ear for a struggling student, and a source of advice for a colleague. Why This Training Matters During the closing ceremony, union leaders and education administrators made it clear that schools need counsellors, and they need them right now. The message is grounded in reality. Today's students face an ever-more complicated array of social, emotional, financial, and personal obstacles as they enter the school each morning. Teachers are the first to notice it. They are the ones in the classroom when a youngster needs someone to notice, when a student becomes quiet, or when grades decline for no apparent reason. Guidance and counselling have traditionally been viewed as optional extras rather than essential components of a school's operations. This instruction directly challenged that notion. Counselling and guidance are not extras. It contributes to the success of a school. Five Days of Learning and Practice Over the course of the week, participants moved beyond theory into practice, building the listening skills, guidance techniques, and support strategies they'll need to respond to real situations in real time. It wasn't just about acquiring knowledge; it was about rehearsing the kind of presence that makes a difference when a student or colleague needs it most. By the final day, the room held a shared sense of purpose. Participants reflected on what the five days had given them, not only new skills, but a renewed sense of why they came into education in the first place. They thanked the funders who made the training possible and made a collective commitment: to serve with diligence, empathy, and purpose. Taking It Beyond the Training Room The real test of this training won't happen in Brikama; it'll happen in the weeks and months ahead, in classrooms, corridors, staffrooms, and communities across the region. The 64 newly certified counsellors were challenged to carry what they learned into every one of those spaces: to notice the learner who's struggling silently, to check in on the colleague who seems overwhelmed, to be the steady presence that a school community can lean on. That's the real outcome of a training like this. Not just a certificate, but a shift in what's considered normal: a school culture where guidance and counselling sit at the centre of education, not the margins.